sporting

adjective

sport·​ing ˈspȯr-tiŋ 

1

a

: of, relating to, used, or suitable for sport

especially : trained for trapping or retrieving game

sporting dogs

b

: marked by or calling for sportsmanship

c

: involving such risk as a sports contender may expect to take or encounter

a sporting chance

2

: of or relating to dissipation and especially gambling

3

: tending to mutate freely

sportingly adverb

Examples of sporting in a Sentence

It wasn't very sporting of you to trip him.

Recent Examples on the Web

Revenue from non-sporting events stood at €22million in Atletico’s most recent annual budget, excluding concert ticketing, which has not previously been a revenue stream for the club. — Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 2 July 2026

The Lhasa Apso is a non-sporting dog breed originating in Tibet. — Katelyn Chef, Martha Stewart, 12 Apr. 2026

Inter has teamed with Italian menswear brand Canali, created a new digital ecosystem that has won it a significant increase in video views and user engagement and has launched non-sporting merchandise such as streetwear accessories to accompany the rebrand. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Mar. 2026

The same is true across all other non-sporting departments, where the competition for labor is against the total labor market, and not just athletes with a unique skillset. — Ian Nicholas Quillen, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1713, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sporting

• sporting house

Rhymes for sporting

• courting
• porting
• shorting
• snorting
• sorting
• thwarting
• aborting
• assorting
• cavorting
• consorting
• deporting
• distorting

Kids Definition

sporting

adjective

sport·​ing ˈspōrt-iŋ 

ˈspȯrt-

1

: of, relating to, or suitable for sport

sporting events

sporting dogs

2

: involving about as much risk as a sports competitor would expect to take

a sporting chance